Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Locarno

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,206 a month against $2,925 in Locarno, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Locarno
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Locarno Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Locarno

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Locarno

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Locarno actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $2,925 in Locarno.

Lisbon $2,206
Locarno $2,925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $4,626 in Locarno.

Lisbon $3,276
Locarno $4,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $6,327 in Locarno.

Lisbon $4,346
Locarno $6,327

Living in Lisbon costs roughly 25% less than in Locarno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 63% above, Locarno 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.02

$27.30 CHF 22.33

-38.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.4

$124 CHF 102

-50.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.78

$18.44 CHF 15.08

-40.46%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$5.21 CHF 4.26

-41.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$5.15 CHF 4.21

-55.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$4.24 CHF 3.47

-60.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$8.58 CHF 7.02

-59.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$6.18 CHF 5.06

-36.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.21 CHF 1.80

-47.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$3.80 CHF 3.11

-50.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$3.09 CHF 2.53

-51.46%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$7.38 CHF 6.04

-44.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.59

$27.08 CHF 22.15

-51.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.17

$16.18 CHF 13.23

-50.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.94

$35.79 CHF 29.28

-50.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.01 CHF 2.47

-24.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.62 CHF 1.33

7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.17 CHF 1.78

-16.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.69 CHF 3.02

-27.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.27 CHF 1.04

39.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.88 CHF 1.54

3.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.91 CHF 1.56

-23.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.17 CHF 0.95

-35.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$10.86 CHF 8.88

-38.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$12.29 CHF 10.05

-54.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$3.09 CHF 2.53

-58.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.13 CHF 2.56

-31.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.76 CHF 2.26

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.21

$97.4 CHF 79.7

-54.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$4.51 CHF 3.69

-11.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$2.48 CHF 2.03

-74.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.86

$60.1 CHF 49.18

-68.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.22 CHF 1.82

2.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.4K €29.7K

$38.8K CHF 31.7K

-13.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.5K €34.3K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-3.40%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$158 €141

$481 CHF 394

-67.12%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.54 €15.62

$27.06 CHF 22.13

-35.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.78

$58.4 CHF 47.79

-46.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.77

$72.1 CHF 59.0

-38.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.91

$30.35 CHF 24.83

-37.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.53

$19.77 CHF 16.17

-51.54%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$674 €600

$1,442 CHF 1,179

-53.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$19.1K CHF 15.7K

-2.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$96.6 CHF 79.0

5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.89

$57.4 CHF 46.98

-20.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$96.4 CHF 78.9

5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$121 CHF 99.0

0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,461

$1,025 CHF 838

60.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,058

$1,026 CHF 839

15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,516

$2,406 CHF 1,968

17.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,798

$2,193 CHF 1,794

-7.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,980

$9,486 CHF 7,759

-17.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,188

$7,455 CHF 6,097

-36.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,503

$5,811 CHF 4,753

-70.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

1.97

93.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Locarno: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Locarno

$1K 35.1% 13.6% $161

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Locarno

$499 17.1% 81.7% $224

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Locarno

$429 14.7% 74.9% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Locarno

$567 19.4% 174% $360

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Locarno

$167 5.7% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Locarno

$112 3.8% 75% $48

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Locarno

$125 4.3% 108% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,641 in Lisbon and $1,025 in Locarno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Locarno pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $124 in Locarno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $499 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇨🇭 Locarno

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

16,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Locarno 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Locarno

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lisbon vs Locarno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $2,925 in Locarno, so Lisbon is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Lisbon. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,641 in Lisbon versus $1,025 in Locarno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $1,442 in Locarno. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Locarno. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Locarno are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Lisbon wins on affordability, Locarno on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.